Buckinghamshire NHS Trust pays out over £10m for misdiagnosis claims
Buckinghamshire NHS Trust paid over £10m to patients who made compensation claims over alleged misdiagnoses.
Data obtained by Medical Negligence Assist revealed that since 2019, Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust has had to pay out over £10m to patients who have lodged claims following a misdiagnosis.
Figures sent to the company, in response to Freedom of Information requests, show that 66 claims regarding misdiagnoses were lodged against the Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust, 47 of which were settled.
Over the past five years, the trust has paid out a total of £10,216,833, with the highest amount coming in 2022/23, standing at £4,116,831.
Gareth Lloyd, medical negligence solicitor for JF Law (which owns the Medical Negligence Assist brand), said: “Misdiagnosis is an all-embracing clinical negligence case type and covers a wide range of clinical situations from the simple diagnosis of a fracture to potentially fatal cancer diagnoses.
“These cases can be a matter of life and death, and whether someone lives or dies will be determined by the success of the diagnosis.”
The law company has linked the high number of misdiagnosis claims made throughout the UK to increasing patient numbers, and mounting pressures on staff.
According to NHS Resolution, diagnostic errors contribute approximately 20% of all clinical negligence claims.
The reasons for misdiagnosis naturally vary from case to case, but NHS Resolution highlights two consistent failings across England, one of which is diagnostic errors, particularly early incorrect diagnoses of soft-tissue injuries.
The second is issues with requests for imaging, reporting, interpretation, and follow-up, including failure to complete further imaging, such as CT or MRI, as indicated in national guidance.
In 2023, the British Medical Journal (BMJ) conducted a study which found that around 1 in 18 patients in primary and secondary care are affected by misdiagnosis.
Based on figures gathered by NHS Resolution, 8,067 claims have been lodged against NHS trusts around the country for misdiagnosis in the past five years, with 5,677 of these claims being settled.
The government department also revealed the most common injuries and outcomes that resulted from misdiagnosis claims against the Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust.
Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust runs Wycombe Hospital, Stoke Mandeville Hospital, Amersham Hospital, Buckingham Community Hospital and Thame Community Hospital, in Buckinghamshire.
The most common outcome for misdiagnosis claims was unnecessary pain, which was lodged 7 times, with the trust paying £46,494 in compensation, followed by fatalities, which saw 6 claims submitted.
The Buckinghamshire NHS Trust spokesperson said: “The safety of our patients is our number one priority. Any incidents are always thoroughly reviewed to see if there is anything we can learn from and improve for the future as our aim is to provide outstanding care for all our patients.”